BENTONVILLE -- Northwest Arkansas Community College officials are working on a deal to eliminate the trench on campus formerly occupied by a railroad spur.
Crossland Construction will fill in the trench with dirt left over from previous construction projects on campus. In exchange, the college will provide Crossland space on the north side of its property to use while the firm works on the Eighth Street interchange project, according to officials from both the college and Crossland.
Spur sale
The state Highway and Transportation Department spent $2.1 million to acquire the railroad spur that ran through Northwest Arkansas Community College and underneath Interstate 49. The purchase was made in preparation for a project that involves widening the interstate and installing an interchange at Eighth Street. The spur covered a total of about 1.3 miles.
Source: Staff report
No money will be exchanged as part of the deal, which is still pending. The college is having its lawyer review the details, said Debi Buckley, the college's vice president of finance and administration.
Once the trench is filled in -- perhaps as early as this spring -- students will have a quicker route between the Student Center and the Center for Health Professions. It also represents a step toward the college's vision of a more cohesive campus.
"We're so excited about it. We just didn't think we'd be able to get this done so quickly," Buckley said.
The trench runs about a quarter of a mile between Southeast Eagle Way and Water Tower Road. It contained part of a railroad spur that ran from Water Tower Road east to Southeast P and Southeast Eighth streets.
The state Highway and Transportation Department acquired the spur from the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad last year to prepare for a project involving widening Interstate 49 and building the Eighth Street interchange. Workers removed the rails and ties in the fall.
Officials determined buying the land would be cheaper than accommodating the railroad in its construction plans, said Danny Straessle, public information officer for the Highway and Transportation Department.
The college tried to acquire the spur from the railroad in 2014 but backed out of negotiations because the railroad was unable to convey a clear title for the land, according to Evelyn Jorgenson, college president.
The state's removal of the spur eliminated what college officials deemed an eyesore and safety hazard from campus, but the remaining trench -- about 15 feet wide -- impedes pedestrian accessibility between the north and south sides of campus.
The state has approved the plan to fill in the trench, Buckley said.
Jason Eldredge, project manager for Crossland, estimated the work on the trench would take a four-person crew about two weeks to accomplish.
Eldredge said Crossland is grateful to the college for allowing the firm to use part of the college's property as a "laydown" area, where Crossland may set up temporary offices and store equipment needed for the interchange project.
That area will be on the far north side of the college's property, off Water Tower Road between Southeast Sixth and Southeast Eighth streets.
"We're most definitely happy we can help them out, too," Eldredge said.
Crossland most likely will occupy the college's property within a month and remain until the fall of 2018, Eldredge said.
One of the things the college is requesting of Crossland is it leave the property in the same condition as the firm finds it, Buckley said.
NW News on 01/09/2017